I used Manny Lasalle (sorry, I don't have his number). He stipped paint off a gorgeous slate fireplace, dismantled it and moved it to a different room without a scratch.
He then bricked up the opening in the old location. Manny also stripprd a wrought iron summer screen for us and it looks like a million bucks.

Posted by: RG at August 16, 2007 5:41 AM in response to Help with Restoration

Retro bethrooms are now in vogue, so you are lucky as far as choice and availability. Look at waterworks.com and stthomascreations.com for inspiration. Waterworks is very expensive, but you can recreate the look with much cheaper fixtures. You mentioned that your bathroom is tiny - I would go with a pedestal sink over a vanity because it gives you more floor space (and therefore, the feel of a larger room), and I would stick to white because it never goes out of style. Brownstoners love subway tile, although, personally, I'm not convinced. However, you can find it everywhere, at all prices, depending on complexity.
Good luck.

Posted by: RG at August 25, 2007 12:54 AM in response to First time renovating bathroom- What inspires you in the design process??

I recently bought two used radiators at 653 Myrtle (between Bedford & Franklin). The price was $5 per section, so I wouldn't bother to fix an old leaky one.
Good luck.

Posted by: RG at September 7, 2007 5:31 AM in response to Radiator: replace or repair

We used Johann Grobler (groblerarchitects.com)as the architect for a gut renovation of a brownstone. He listened to our requests and came up with a great plan. We paid a fee to get the plans approved by the DOB (rather than a percentage to oversee the whole project), and we are thrilled with the results. Best of all, he is a real gentleman in the old-fashioned sense of the word.

Posted by: RG at September 27, 2007 8:22 PM in response to Architect recommendations

A tip from my contractor - when the plumbing is done, BEFORE the dry-walls go up, take pictures of these unexciting pipes, because if you ever have to get to them AFTER the renovation is finished, it will be really nice to know where the pipes are.

Posted by: RG at September 30, 2007 11:25 AM in response to Demo Damage

Agree with 7:28- go for a classic renovation of the kitchen now rather than later. You may as well enjoy it for a few years before you sell.
Also, if you do a classic bathroom renovation (Victorian, typical white or black and white), it will not go out of style in ten years, after all it is Victorian...
Both kitchen and bath renovations are less expensive if you keep the original location of the fixtures.
Whatever you decide to do, enjoy your house.

Posted by: RG at January 8, 2008 9:31 PM in response to Where to Start with Renovations

The gorgeous building on the NW corner of Bedford and Gates is marked for demolition (heard from the construction crew). I hope they got it wrong- how can such a beauty be torn down?
Where is the Landmark Commission when you need it?

Posted by: RG at February 19, 2008 8:24 PM in response to Bedford Ave / Development?

Try eastendwoodstrippers.com (718 783-4112) .They stripped 23 doors and 20 shutters for us, all with 150 years worth of paint layers, and they came back looking great.
Be careful sanding old paint because you then spread lead dust everywhere.
Good luck.

Posted by: RG at April 18, 2008 10:01 AM in response to Where to have doors stripped?

These doors look gorgeous! I would hire a first rate carpenter to fix up and refinish them. I'm not sure that you would find salvaged doors in better shape AND perfect fit. Try Eddie (on Green and Grand) to see if he has anything to your liking. He may also be able to tell you whom to hire.

Posted by: RG at May 15, 2008 3:10 PM in response to Looking for Front Doors

80's kitchens look bad 20 years later only because most 80's kitchens especially those in Brooklyn are very cheap laminate junk.

You can walk into a good quality kitchen dating back to the 1920's (I had one in L.A.) and it still looks fabulous.

It is ALL about the quality. And taking care of it.

You're living there another 10 years. Treat yourself to a new kitchen and enjoy it. Life's too short to spend a decade in an old rundown kitchen waiting for resale! I'm actually laughing now.

Posted by: guest at January 8, 2008 11:19 PM in response to Where to Start with Renovations

Kitchen and master bath first. DO NOT install a clawfoot tub as the only shower. A regular tub/shower is OK but the sole clawfoot is too problematic for curtain/water control. A clawfoot tub with a separate shower stall would be great. Shower stalls with frameless glass enclosures plus a tub or whirlpool add the most to bathroom value; as do two sinks if there is space.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 8:49 AM in response to Where to Start with Renovations

The kitchen! You hate the cabinets - even a completely cosmetic redo here (new fronts, or paint) would help, and new appliances, while expensive, would lower your monthly electrical bill if you buy EnergyStar.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 2:19 PM in response to Where to Start with Renovations

If you are interested in what resale value you will get you can go onto zillow.com and add in improvements and they will tell you approximately how much you will recoup in a sale ( i know this is available for houses not sure about condos) But is you are interested in what you would enjoy the most and you plan to stay there for a while it sounds like from your post that you are most interested in the master bath (although if the place was mine I would definitely go for the roof deck - but i am a sucker for outdoor space)

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 11:20 PM in response to Where to Start with Renovations

Here's that phone number:

Big Apple Stripping, 13 Dehart Ave, Staten Island, 718-447-1088

And another if you're NJ-friendly:

Dip N Strip, 106 Frederick St., Hackensack, 201-487-1115

I'm told that this Dip N Strip is cheaper, but they don't do a final sanding for you. Big Apple Stripping will sand after stripping. I haven't personally dealt with either, so this is all 2nd hand knowledge and may be incorrect.

Posted by: guest at April 18, 2008 11:12 AM in response to Where to have doors stripped?

Here's that phone number:

Big Apple Stripping, 13 Dehart Ave, Staten Island, 718-447-1088

And another if you're NJ-friendly:

Dip N Strip, 106 Frederick St., Hackensack, 201-487-1115

I'm told that this Dip N Strip is cheaper, but they don't do a final sanding for you. Big Apple Stripping will sand after stripping. I haven't personally dealt with either, so this is all 2nd hand knowledge and may be incorrect.

Posted by: guest at April 18, 2008 11:16 AM in response to Where to have doors stripped?

I found out that dipping is really not much cheaper than hand stripping, and it is trouble down the road. compare quotes. hand stripping can be anywhere in between $200_$250 depending on amount paint .

Posted by: guest at April 18, 2008 8:54 PM in response to Where to have doors stripped?

I had a bunch of painted doors hand stripped by joe salem from woodzone @$200 ea. fair price and well done .

Posted by: guest at April 18, 2008 9:01 PM in response to Where to have doors stripped?

how long would stripping, let's say a front door, take? what do people do while the door is off and out being stripped? put in a temp?

Posted by: CGmodern at April 21, 2008 5:47 PM in response to Where to have doors stripped?

have them stripped in place , no need to have them removed. I had mine done at my premise, but I was told they would be gone for 2 days if I wanted them removed for stripping only.

Posted by: guest at April 21, 2008 6:52 PM in response to Where to have doors stripped?